To Give up on Words

This article discussed the situations in which Apache refrain from speech, and why they see this as valuable. Silence typically receives less attention during a study than speech, but it can be just as telling of a culture. Speech needs proper contexts to be used correctly, and if those contexts don't exist then silence may be the better option. I sometimes feel like here in the US we are too quick to speak, and therefore misinterpretation is common.
The first instance in which the Apache remain silent is upon the meeting of a stranger. No introductions are made, it is up to the two strangers to decide if they want to talk. If they meet and stay in silence, if gives them a chance to observe the other and decide if they are a good person and lets them feel comfortable in the others presence. If they do decide to talk, the speech is not forced and more relaxed. People who talk as soon as the meet someone for the first time can be seen as wanting something from the other person, or desiring friendship too soon. These people are viewed with distrust.
The second period of silence is in the first stages of courtship among young people. This is due to shyness and self-consciousness, but the resulting silence gives the couple familiarity. After several months, longer conversations begin. This is the opposite of dating in the Western world. Often people try to find out everything about each other in the first week, and conversations become shorter and less meaningful the longer someone is in a relationship.
The third instance is when children from boarding school. In this case, the parents wait to see how much the children have changed. Without knowing what the children are thinking or what their attitudes are it is difficult for their parents to talk to them until they know them again.
The fourth period of silence is when someone gets mad at someone else. In this case the person in a rage is considered to be out of their mind and unable to control their actions or words. It is best to remain silent in this case because anything said could be misinterpreted and may enrage them further.
The fifth is situation for silence is when someone is with a person who is grieving. This is similar to situation 4, as the person who is grieving may be out of their mind with grief and speaking may result in anger or other outbursts.
The sixth is during healing ceremonies. The medicine man is said to embody a holy spirit, and therefore is not present. Therefore, you should not speak to him.

I like the idea of remaining silent when someone is grieving or angered. It would spare us of all those awkward conversations when you don't know what to say to someone but feel like something should be said. For instance, when someone has just lost a friend or family member we feel obligated to apologize to them or provide some other sort of meaningless words. This doesn't need to be the case; I think silence would be better. It spares the speaker awkward words and the mourner casual responses.